#multiple deadlines and endless homework and reading lists

[rhysintherain]

Honestly?

As someone who works on the logistical side of post-secondary education, the level of organisation and life skills your average drug dealer has would give most students a run for their money. They'd probably have way fewer breakdowns in the tutor's offices and be more likely to actually show up for class than your average 1st year.

Prisons/Jails vs Colleges - More prisons or more colleges?

[zitavoros]

6 things to do if you've got an art block

Although I myself am going through a significant creative block right now, here are some ways I've found help me become unstuck and back on track! Right after I post this blog, I'm gonna go follow my advice so I'm not a complete hypocrite. But first! Here are the ways I usually deal with art blocks.

1. Doodle your favourite foods

Yeah, you heard me. Pick your favourite food, and it can be anything! Fruit, vegetables, dishes, desserts, drinks, candy, junk food, take-out, etc. For some reason, drawing food is a great exercise for me because I get to work with a whole lot of colour while keeping my subject very precise and small. If I'm in the middle of a large piece and get stuck or uninspired, doodling a Capri Sun, for example, or some ice cream really helps me reset. It also gives me a chance to doodle for fun, something that I don't always have time for.

2. Draw some fan art

Sometimes this can be more extensive, but I find it helps me if I take a subject I'm currently fascinated by and just draw art surrounding it. Original art can take a lot out of you, and being creative as a full-time art student is especially draining, so if you've got a podcast, a book, a movie, a game you're really into, draw some art of the characters or the setting! Here's a piece I did of all the Ooblets from the up-and-coming video game by the same name. I find it really helps me to take a couple of hours and relax by working on a creative project without having to be the one who comes up with the creative content.

3. Be creative in another medium

Got some poetry you've always wanted to write, or a craft project like scrapbooking you love? Do those instead of your art! Sounds counterproductive, and it's not the best for people on a deadline, but stepping away from making art and focusing on crafts, journaling, fiction or nonfiction writing, cooking, or maybe even art that isn't your normal medium can be beneficial for those suffering from an art block. I personally love doing calligraphy, or making small paper-cut plants. 

4. Follow some prompts

Art prompts don't always have to be for Inktober- you can find idea generators and tons of prompt lists and use them any time of the year. This is a tool I often forget, since I (like many others) have tried & failed on upkeeping the everyday posting mess that is Inktober, and associate those lists only with the month of October. Use it any time, though! Draw that animal, that emotion, that person doing that activity. The prompt lists and idea generators out there are endless!

5. Create a Pinterest, or follow new artists on social media (Instagram and Twitter are full of them!)

This not only helps you look at the sheer number of people out there, it is also beneficial to see new styles! I have not found my own personal style yet, and while I may be a smidge stressed about that, I think experimenting in different art styles that have inspired me have been great! It also helps you work out of your comfort zone, and you learn something new while doing it! Go follow some artists and try to emulate their styles (*as a practice method to unblock yourself. Please do not appropriate art!) I have an inspiration blog specifically for this purpose!

6. Try a limited palette exercise

Back to the basics here, but try working on a subject with a limited palette. Here are a number of great palette generators and tools that I enjoy! Colormind: AI generated palettes

Coolors: great for image to colours, exporting palettes, etc.

ColorSpace: shows multiple palettes based on one colour! My personal favourite is COLOURlovers. It’s very community-based, and I enjoy that aspect of palette creation a lot! 

Combine this exercise with other suggestions (draw your favourite candy in a limited palette, fanart in a limited palette, prompts in a limited palette, etc.)  to really kill that art block. Draw that item / person in different styles, all in a limited palette! The possibilities are endless.

7. Bonus: Do something completely unrelated!

Haha I'm procrastinating on art right now by writing this listicle! Thanks for reading, go do something else before coming back to your art! Do your laundry, watch TV, read a book, do your homework if you're still in school, organize your closet, take a walk in the park, whatever you want! Check those things off your to-do list first, and maybe you'll be so happy to get back to making art that you'll be inspired again. I'm gonna go follow my own advice now. 

[cannywrites]

Stress Over School: Expectations vs. Reality

I'm going to break the bad news: stress is inevitable when you are a college student. Between endless hours of studying, deadlines for assignments and projects, and exams to worry about, it's nearly impossible not to stress out at some point in time during your college career. Even if you are doing well in school, life inevitably throws curveballs that can add to your existing struggles. If you are currently stressed over school or know someone who is stressed over school, this post will tell you that you're not alone!

Expectation: I will be more productive by working in my room all day.

Expectation: I will be more productive by working in my room all day.

Reality: You can be productive anywhere, including in your room, but you may find that a change of scenery provides a better environment for concentration. If you’re struggling to focus on work while surrounded by friends and classmates (or perhaps they are distracting), then it might be best to take your laptop to the library or coffee shop—where there are fewer people around—and use headphones if needed. If even those options aren’t working out for you, consider heading outside!

There are many benefits of working outdoors, especially when the weather is nice. Whether it’s a city park or nature trail near campus, being surrounded by greenery has been shown to reduce stress levels and enhance creative thinking abilities.

Reality: I will spend the whole day being distracted by noise and staring at a blank Google Doc.

You will spend the whole day being distracted by noise and staring at a blank Google Doc. You put off the work until the last minute and then stress about the due date. You go to bed at 3 a.m., roll out of bed 5 minutes before your 8 a.m., get lost on campus, and miss class anyway because you’re late picking up your ID card...the list goes on and on.

I am not going to say that university is easy, but I am going to say that it does not have to be this stressful! There are many things that can be done in order for you not only to survive but thrive in this new environment and eventually begin having fun again!

Expectation: Starting my homework early will make me feel accomplished.

One of the biggest problems people can have with their homework is their expectations. They might think that they need to start their work as soon as they get home, or that they should do all of their homework at once. Both of these methods are flawed because there’s a lot of information out there and it can be overwhelming to tackle it all at once. The best way to approach this problem is by breaking your assignments into smaller pieces—that way, you don’t feel overwhelmed by everything that needs doing, and you won't get discouraged when things get difficult or take longer than expected!

The first step is making sure you pick the right assignment for yourself. If something like math has always given you trouble in class (or if it's just not your favorite subject), try tackling something else first instead: reading an article online about what your teacher talked about during class today could give a good insight into how she/he thinks; listening to music while working on another subject will help keep your mind clear so when it comes time for math assignments later on later in the evening—or tomorrow morning!—the concepts will come easier."

Reality: I put off the work until the last minute and then stress about the due date.

You're not alone in your procrastination. In fact, you probably have company at this very moment. According to a survey by StudyMode, 43% of respondents reported that they tend to put off their schoolwork until the last minute.

Studies have shown that procrastination can lead to stress and poor performance, but there are some simple ways to overcome it:

Set yourself goals and deadlines for each assignment or project before you start working on it. If you're juggling multiple assignments at once, try creating an order in which you'll work on them (so that the most urgent projects get done first).

Make sure you have all of your materials in one place so that you don't waste time looking for them when it's time to start working on something new. This includes notebooks filled with notes from previous classes or readings (and any other information relevant for future assignments), pens/pencils/paper/pencil pencilpaper...you get the idea!

Expectation: Going to office hours will help me understand the material better.

You may think that office hours are a good place to go for help, but you have to be prepared. If you wait until the last minute and then ask for help, it can make the professor feel overwhelmed or stressed. They might not want to talk with students who haven't done their work. Before going in, try reading the chapter over again and taking notes on what still doesn't make sense. Also, it's important not to go off topic when talking with your professor. If they don't understand where you're coming from and keep asking questions that seem unrelated, this might cause them more stress than necessary!

If we think about our professors as people who are trying their best under difficult circumstances (like us), it becomes clear why they may struggle with providing adequate support at times: they have huge workloads themselves! The best way we can help out is by being respectful of their time while also being proactive in seeking out resources outside of class if necessary (such as other courses or tutors).

Reality: Office hours are always full.

If a professor is not available for office hours, you may feel frustrated and confused. You are putting in the effort to learn, but you can't seem to find resources that will help you understand the material.

In this situation, it's important to remember that professors are human too--they might be having a bad day or they might simply be overworked with other things in their lives. As a result of their busy schedules, professors often leave their doors open during office hours so that students can reach out through email or chat without needing an appointment time slot.

This means that instead of waiting until after the class ends (or even worse: arriving late) and potentially missing out on valuable feedback from both your peers and instructors, try contacting them early on via email or chat before class starts! This way there's less stress involved when it comes down to figuring out whether or not someone wants help understanding course material outside of scheduled times/seats/etcetera."

Expectation: I will go to bed early on Sunday night so that I can wake up feeling refreshed on Monday morning.

Expectation: I will go to bed early on Sunday night so that I can wake up feeling refreshed on Monday morning.

Reality: You toss and turn until 12:30 a.m., before finally falling asleep. Then your alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m., and you stumble out of bed feeling exhausted!

If you want to avoid this scenario, there are some easy ways to get a good night's sleep—and wake up feeling awake and ready for the day ahead. First of all, make sure your body is ready for bed by exercising earlier in the day (exercise releases hormones that help us fall asleep), or taking a hot shower before going to bed (hot showers have been shown to relax muscles). Try not to eat large meals close to when you plan on sleeping because they'll make it harder for you to digest food while you sleep—you don't want indigestion interrupting your quality rest! And whatever time you go down for shut-eye, try not to deviate much from it—if getting up early feels impossible right now because of school stress, it may be better off if instead, we get used to going into class late sometimes rather than running ourselves ragged trying our hardest every single day without fail.

Reality: I will go to bed at 3 a.m., roll out of bed 5 minutes before 8 a.m., and then drink three cups of coffee so that I'm not falling asleep in class.

You will wake up at 3 a.m., roll out of bed 5 minutes before 8 a.m., and then drink three cups of coffee so that you're not falling asleep in class. You will have trouble concentrating on the lecture because you are so exhausted from working so hard all night. You'll go home with homework due this weekend, but again—you're just going to sleep it off until tomorrow morning.

Then, when Monday rolls around again and you start another week at school, all of these problems come back: the tiredness, the lack of focus in class, feeling overwhelmed by everything else besides schoolwork that needs doing (laundry? Cooking?). Before long it's Wednesday night again and time for another late night spent writing papers or cramming for exams—and then Thursday morning is here again, waking up early for another day at school...

Stress over school is inevitable but also manageable. It's important to keep in mind that stress is a natural part of life, and it can be managed. It can be beneficial in certain circumstances and situations. For example, your body releases adrenaline to help you react quickly when confronted by an immediate threat. This can be good if you need to protect yourself or others from harm—it's not always bad! However, most of the time we experience stress because we are overworked or overwhelmed by our responsibilities at school and home—things that don't actually pose any threat to our safety or well-being. In fact, sometimes stressful situations can actually make us stronger when we learn how to cope with them effectively!

My intention for this article was to make you feel a little less alone in your school stress. We’re all feeling it, and we’re all doing the best we can to get through it. Stress can negatively affect our health and well-being, but there are actually positive things that come out of stressful situations, too. Studies have shown that stress can increase resilience as well as motivation and productivity. Stress has also been shown to increase creativity and innovation in individuals who work under pressure. So while you might feel like your world is falling apart on a Friday night when you have four papers due on Monday morning, try taking a deep breath and turning the situation into an opportunity to exercise your brain muscles! Eventually, you’ll learn how to deal with stress in ways that will make every situation more manageable—even if it doesn’t seem like it at first glance.